Clever New World monkeys famous for their foraging skills, including using stones to crack open nuts. They are usually dark brown with a cream or off-white area around the neck, and live in groups of 6 to 40.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?Sometimes
Kept as pets in places, but the pet trade is one of the threats to wild capuchins.
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inSouth America, Central America
HabitatRainforest, Forest
ColoursBrown, Cream, Black
SizeSmall
Length30–56 cm, with a tail about as long again
Weight1.4–4 kg
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives introops
Lives for15–25 years
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Tropical forests of Central America and South America as far south as northern Argentina; Brazil has the most.
- What it eats
- Omnivores: leaves, flowers, fruit, seeds and sap, plus insects, molluscs, frogs and other small animals.
Did you know
Cracks nuts with stone hammers and teaches the trick to its young.
Capuchins living near water crack crabs and shellfish open with stones.
Young capuchins learn to crack nuts by watching experienced adults, which can take years of practice.
Often confused with
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